Weights and Measures

This page is where I will post all the information I have collected regarding sizes, weights and measures.  The information here is from many different reliable sources. However one or more
of the bits of info could be off, but I'm sure if it is it's not by more than a fraction.

Click on a hot-spot to go to that section below:
Spark Plug Identification   S-Divider Dyno Test    Head Casting Numbers    Engine ID Numbers  
Combustion Chamber Volume    Valve Sizes    Engine Comparison    Identifying GM engines
Wiring Diagrams    Torque Specifications   Blueprint Specifications    Head Torque Sequence  
Intake Manifold Torque Sequence   Wheelbase and Weight Comparison  Belt and Hose Numbers
Shock Absorber Numbers

Spark Plug Identification

AC Spark Plugs have a pretty simple system:
        Let's look at a plug with the number R44TS (which is what my Riviera calls for)...
                    The R means resistor
                    The first 4 is the plug thread size and the second 4 is the heat range
                    The T stands for tapered seat
                    The S means Extended Tip

Can the Poston S-Divider perform with the B4B?

Well, in the following note I received from Jim Burek of PAE Enterprises, he outlines the results of a dyno test he did of the S-Divider.  Jim is a pretty sharp guy.  The Turbo 400 trans I use was built by his shop and it works beautifully:
            "Hey Jeff, how's it going? I thought I 'd drop you a line on some recent manifold
            tests we did. I had an engine on the dyno making approx 470 horsepower, we
            had run it with the TA and The cool runner, both manifolds ran pretty much the
            same, the cool runner made a little more horsepower. Then we set it up with the
            S-Divider. The power was down about 20 horses or so in this application. Then I
            did something I had never tried before, I installed a 1 inch tall 4 hole spacer under
            the carb, the manifold had the center divider cut down about 1 inch. When I did
            my next pull, wow, power came up like crazy, torque picked up about 30 to 40
            pounds and the horsepower came up to around 478. I had never tried a 4 hole
            spacer on the manifold before, I will be doing much more testing to see what happens."
                                                                                                        Jim Burek

So there you have it!  Now, hood clearance on my Riviera is ZERO, but if you are running the S-Divider and your car has a spare 1" of room over the air cleaner, give this a shot!!  What have you got to lose?   If you don't have a drop base air cleaner, there are several out there.  They clear about 1" or more extra room for you.

Cylinder Head Casting Numbers

The numbers in bold are Big Port 430 heads.

If your head has a large S1 cast into the the area where the rocker arms sit, don't get too excited.  It DOES NOT mean Stage1.  It means they are a 455 Service Replacement, purchased from a dealer to replace a stock head, or in my case purchased by Kenne Bell to port and put Stage1 valves in.

Are they 455 Stage1 Heads?  Sorry to say, but it is not possible to tell whether you have Stage1 heads or not just by the casting number. This is because Buick simply pulled heads off the line and enlarged the valve seats and put Stage1 valves in them.  The only difference between Stage1 heads and regular heads is the valve size.  Sorry, but the only way to know for sure is to pull the head and view the valves.  See below for some pics comparing the Stage1 vs the stock valves or click here.

Combustion Chamber Volume

All 430 heads had 69cc combustion chambers. The only head that I found listed with a smaller chamber
was the 1970 Stage 1 heads at 66cc.

Engine Block ID Numbers

It should say 455 in the area directly behind the intake manifold, right where the transmission bellhousing meets the block. Also, to ID the year and type of block (Stage1, Riv GS) there are codes stamped into the top of the block, visible between the #1 & #3 and #5 & #7 exhaust ports.

                                       

Here are the codes for 455s:

1970 455-4 SR
1970 455-4 Big Car SF
1970 Stage1 SS


1971 455-4 TR
1971 Stage1 TS
1971 455 GS Riviera TA (COULD have Stage1 heads)

1972 455-4 WF
1972 Stage1 WS
1972 455 GS Riviera WA

1973 455-4 XF
1973 Stage1 XS
1973 455 GS Riviera XA

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Stage 1 Valve Sizes vs. Stock Valve Sizes

         All 455 Stage 1    Intake = 2.125" (2 1/8")          Exhaust = 1.750" (1 3/4")

        1970-1974 455 Stock    Intake = 2.000"        Exhaust = 1.625"  (1 5/8")

        1975-1976 455 Stock    Intake = 2.000"        Exhaust  = 1.687"  (1 11/16")

        All 400/430 Stock     Intake = 2.000"     Exhaust = 1.625"  (1 5/8")

                        I'm sure you can tell which are the stock valves and which are the Stage1...

How do Buick engines compare with other V8s?

Maker        Size          Bore         Stroke         Mains         Rods         Weight

Olds            455        4.126          4.25              3.00            2.50             635
Pontiac       455         4.152          4.21              3.00            2.25             650
Buick          455         4.312          3.90             3.250          2.25             616
Buick          430         4.1875        3.90             3.250          2.25             616
Caddy        500         4.300          4.304           3.250          2.50             750
Chevy         454         4.251          4.00             2.749          2.20             775
MOPAR     426Hemi   4.25            3.750            2.75            2.375           725       
MOPAR     426Wedge                                                                                   675
MOPAR     440         4.320          3.750            2.75            2.375          670
Ford           429         4.360          3.590            3.00            2.50            665
Chevy        350         4.000           3.48              2.449          2.10            525
Olds           350         4.057          3.385            2.50             2.125          560
Pontiac      350        3.876           3.75              3.00             2.25              ?
Buick          350        3.80             3.85              3.00             2.00              ?
Ford           351C      4.00            3.00              2.749           2.31             647
Ford           351W     4.00            3.00              3.00             2.31             647
Olds          400E       4.00            3.975            3.00             2.50             610
Olds          400L       3.87             4.25              3.00             2.50             610
Olds           403        4.351           3.385            2.50             2.125        
Pontiac      400        4.121           3.75              3.00             2.25             650
Buick         400         4.040           3.90             3.25             2.25             600
MOPAR    383         4.250           3.375           2.62             2.375           638
Ford          390         4.050           3.784           2.74             2.43             660

The Buick, Olds and Pontiac 455s are three completely different designs with no interchangeable parts
(well, nothing but the carb and the distributor cap). The Buick 455 was a 1970 introduction, developed from the all-new Buick 430ci V-8 introduced in 1967 to replace the former "nailhead" 401/425 Buick V-8's that dated back to the fifties. The Pontiac was introduced in the same year, 1970, to replace the 428. That engine design, however, dates back to the original Pontiac V-8 introduced in 1954. One of the reasons the Buick 455 runs so darn well is due to its massive bore and relatively short stroke.  This produces gobs of low-end torque.

An Olds 350 is not a Buick 350 is not a Pontiac 350 is not a Chevy 350, is not a Cadillac 350. Unlike Chevy small and big blocks, the Buick blocks really aren't that different from the 350 to the 455. The size difference between a Chevy small block and big block is instantly recognizable. The only things in common among all the GM division engines are the distributor cap, rotor, carb bolt pattern, and the transmission bolt pattern. Buick, Cadillac, Olds and Pontiac transmission bolt patterns are the same, with six bolts. Chevy is different, with five bolts – one at the top center.

The iron used to cast Buick engines has a high nickel content.  This makes the cast iron very strong.  Because of this, Buick heads do not require hardened valve seats to be installed in order to run unleaded fuel.  Chevy's are bigger and heavier than comparable CID Buick engines because they used very little nickel in the cast iron. Nickel is an expensive strengthening agent for cast iron, which accounts, in part, for the added cost to buy a Buick in the old days.  Low quality iron requires mass in order to make it stronger, which is why you will see the physical weight and size difference. I hope you don't think that 4 bolt mains were put in Chevy engines so that they would be "Ultra-Strong" for the performance enthusiast. This is simply not true! They are there because the iron requires strength to keep the cap in place - 2 bolts in mush is not as good as 4 bolts in mush.

Rules of thumb for Identifying GM engines

Front distributor mounted at an angle = Buick engine.
Front distributor mounted straight up and down = Caddy engine.
Back distributor, intake separated from valley cover = Poncho (or 49-64 Olds).
Back distributor, passes through the intake manifold = Chevy.
Back distributor, does not pass through the intake manifold = Olds.

Wiring Diagrams

Here are engine bay wiring diagrams for the 1969 Riviera (I believe they are identical to the 1970, and except for the electric fuel pump/oil sending switch they should be the same for the 1968).  I have blown them up very large so you can read the detail.  Just scroll to the area you need, or even detatch it to your hard drive and print it out!

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Here are the Torque Specs for the big block Buick

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Here are the Blueprint Specs for the big block Buick

Head Torque Sequence

NOTE: When using ARP head bolts, TA Performance recommends torquing
bolts # 4, #1 and #2 to 110 lb ft.

Intake Manifold Torque Sequence

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How do the 1st two body styles of the Riviera compare - numbers-wise? Well, as you can see, the Riviera grew steadily as the body styles changed.

Here are the NAPA part numbers for the belts and hoses we use...

(Each belt has the number 25 in smaller numbers listed right above the actual belt number on the package).

Alternator belt # 7490

AC belt #7625

Power Steering belt #7420

Upper Radiator Hose # 7715

Lower Radiator Hose # 7634

Heater Control Valve Hose Gates# 28470
(90* hose that runs from the top of the intake to the heater control valve)
This hose must be trimmed to fit.

Here are the Part Numbers for aftermarket KYB Shock Absorbers that fit our car

Front = KG4509 Washers must be added. Old part # is 4508

Rear = KG5508